With all the talk about beat writers of late, we here at The Garden Grasp would be remiss if we didn’t chime in. It safe to say that Frank Isola, Mitch Lawrence, Marc Berman & Alan Hahn are the best purveyors of daily Knicks news in the business. That said, I find it rather funny when “shorthanders” take issue with the prospective of writers who travel with the team, sit in press row or take the time to write thought-provoking & factually accurate commentary.

On the topic of Chris Duhon, there’s no question he fills the need for a pass-first PG who defends. Problem is, those who

expect him to ignite D’Antoni’s offense on a nightly basis are setting themselves up for major disappointment. To borrow a quote from Jay-Z, “men lie, women lie, but numbers don’t.” Duhon is and will continue to be a 7-point, 5-assist guy. Will he improve the chemistry of the ballclub? Absolutely. Will he frustrate fans with one stellar night followed by three nights of pedestrian play? Most certainly. Bulls fans saw this after 4 seasons and some observers we spoke with weren’t sad to see him leave. Yes, he won at Duke, but NCAA accomplishments don’t matter much once you’re in the league.

I suspect Duhon will eclipse his career highs of 8.7 ppg & 5.0 apg from the 05-06 season, but no one should expect him to become the catalyst that leads the team to 35-40 wins. I firmly expect Duhon to remind us of Chris Childs. Like Duhon, Childs was a former reserve who was signed to become a starter in New York. Childs hit for 9.3 ppg, 6.1 apg & 1.2 spg in his first season, but spent the next 4 years backing up Charlie Ward. Again, Duhon is a good addition to this roster, but Mo Cheeks, Derek Harper or Charlie Ward he is not. Best case, he’ll be as good as Childs was. Worst case, we’re looking at Howard Eisley Part II.

This Knicks team will go as far as Jamal Crawford, David Lee & Zach Randolph will take them. These three are the most consistently productive players on the roster. I project Crawford to merit All-Star consideration this season so long as he continues to get 35+ minutes a night. David Lee figures to become a wealthy man as his newfound starter’s status will boost his already impressive production. Lee’s agent will certainly be looking for Andris Biedrins-type money (6 years, $63M) from Donnie Walsh, which will have a direct impact on the 2010 King James Fund. Zach Randolph doesn’t have to worry about money, but he is looking to change the perception that he’s a black hole and a malcontent. Since camp opened, D’Antoni’s been pleasantly surprised with Randolph and now views him a key contributor.

As the Knicks gear up for the season opener, it’s imperative that roles are defined and players overachieve. There’s no reason why Crawford can’t average 22 a night in this system. By lessening his ball-handling duties, Crawford is now free to catch & shoot, go to the rack and pile up points at the line. Together Lee & Randolph should own the glass and can easily put up 30-35 points a night. If these three have banner seasons, the road to respectability will have gotten much shorter.